KAWARAU DAM

Hokitika Guardian, 21 August 1929, Page 2

KAWARAU DAM

CLAIMHOLDERS SLOW TO PAY., FORFEIT OF RIGHTS PROPOSED. DUNEDIN, August 19. Though the gates of the Kawarau. Dam have been closed for about' a week and the river has .fallen to a very low level', the elaimholders fejnain inactive. Xfter the initial efforts iii 192 G, when the .gates were first Hosed,, the/ elaimholders have; done practically nothing on ‘Kawarau; in which has'been sunk capital est-i- ---* mated at nearly £SCO,OCO in the past three years. The iminers at Cromwell are, the only ones who have made a serious attempt to work the river, none of the other parties having endeavoured to secure a return on their capital. Proposals for an amalgamation of tho elaimholders have .been made, but, these have reached a dead end, as several clauses in tho proposed agreement are not acceptable to the Kawarau Company. It is stated that it is now the intention of the financial holders behind the scheme that those who are in default with their payments to the parent company should forfeit their rights to the particular quarter-mile stretches along the river. Interesting developments are expected in sqme quarters when a definite move is made to deprive of their claim those, who have fallen behind in their payments.

Those who are acquainted with the working of tho soli erne state that m their preliminary calculations the constructors of the dam overlooked the inflow to the Kawarau from, the Shotover, Arrow, Nevis, and other rivers. The flow of water from tHo i?.ho+over had been considerately underestimated, and this has groatlv hampered the whole scheme. The Kawarau Dam itself, which was erected at a cost of £106.000, has proved a very efficient barrier, so far as it has gone, but owing to other factors tlie level of the river has not been reduced to the expected level. At present the position appears to be that cohesion is needed amongst the elaimholders. and, further than that, the advice of an outside expert is claimed to bo absolutely essential.

Divided amongst those interested the cost of engaging a well-known Continental or English engineer should not be excessive.